Giants coaching candidates after Brian Daboll firing, plus one big name already ruled out
Daboll is out in New York, so who could replace him?
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7 min read
It's the end of the line for Brian Daboll in New York. In the wake of another fourth-quarter collapse, this time blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to the Bears in Week 10, the New York Giants have fired the head coach.
This ends a turbulent tenure for Daboll and the Giants, owning a 20-40-1 regular-season record, which includes their 2-8 campaign in 2025. With Daboll shown the door, the next question is who'll replace him. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as the interim head coach, but a larger search is upcoming this offseason.
If you are hoping that it could be current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, however, you might not want to get your hopes up. Given the emergence of rookie sensation Jaxson Dart as a franchise cornerstone at quarterback, folks have drawn the logical line to giving Kiffin a call to see if he'd want to reunite with his former quarterback and return to the NFL.
While it makes sense on paper, judging by what Brandon Dart, Jaxson's father, had to say about that possible reunion, it doesn't sound like a realistic option.
"As we were texting on our Kiffin-Dart family text thread, because I think Boomer Esiason had said something in the media today that maybe they should throw out a potential coaching (offer) to Kiffin, and he just sent it over with a smirk and just said, 'It's too cold in New York for me.' It's just kind of funny," Brandon Dart recently told the "Bleav in Ole Miss" podcast, via the New York Post.
"But we have our weekly interactions with him and his family, and Jaxson holds high regard. I think Kiffin is one of his most trusted allies, and I think he uses him for advice in a lot of different ways, so there's constant communication between them, even today, and there's a lot of that between our families. I don't think we could have asked for a more special coach relationship between our family and our son, so we're very, very grateful for coach Kiff."
Kiffin coached Dart for three years at Ole Miss, which included a stellar senior season in 2024 with the quarterback throwing for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns while completing 69.3% of his throws. That tutelage helped him become a first-round pick at the 2025 NFL Draft, and, given the close ties they share, it would make sense for New York to see if he'd be interested in the job.
While weather might be a factor for Kiffin, so is the current landscape in college football. There are a number of high-profile jobs open, including at LSU, Penn State, and Florida, where he could be a leading candidate. He could also simply stay put at Ole Miss, where he currently has the Rebels in contention for the College Football Playoff.
If that proves to be the case and Kiffin isn't an option for New York, let's highlight other possible options.
Jesse Minter
Current role: Defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers
Ownership and fans alike may want an offensive-minded head coach to further cater to Dart's development, but don't sleep on a guy like Jesse Minter, either. New York has invested heavily along the defensive line by acquiring the likes of Brian Burns, signing Dexter Lawrence to a big-money extension, and drafting Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux inside the top five of the NFL Draft in recent years. That unit has the potential to be among the best in the NFL, and could reach that with someone like Minter at the helm, which would, in turn, help Dart and the offense.
Minter, who was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and followed Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers in the same role, has presided over some dominant defenses. In 2024, the Chargers ranked No. 1 in points allowed and are No. 6 in the league in yards allowed in 2025 (entering Week 10).
Kliff Kingsbury
Current role: Offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders
Last offseason, we saw former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accept a head coaching job in the division with Chicago, so maybe Kingsbury could be the latest to follow that track. Kingsbury has done wonders for the Commanders offense with a young Jayden Daniels, and could bring a similar boost to Dart's development in New York. On top of being one of the top offensive minds in the NFL, he also comes with prior head coaching experience, leading the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022. Kingsbury went just 28-37-1 over that tenure, but it did include an 11-6 record in 2021.
Klint Kubiak
Current role: Offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks
Kubiak is expected to be a popular name this upcoming hiring cycle, especially after he has turned the Seattle Seahawks offense into one of the best in the league. Entering Week 10, Sam Darnold is playing at an MVP level and averaging 9.6 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Jaxon Smith-Njigba currently leads the NFL with 948 yards receiving and is on pace to be the league's first 2,000-yard receiver. Could he work similar magic with Dart and a healthy Malik Nabers with the Giants?
Robert Saleh
Current role: Defensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers
Don't sleep on Saleh, who should be a familiar face to the region after serving as he head coach of the New York Jets from 2021 up until early October of last season. He could get another kick at the can as an NFL head coach, and recently showered Jaxson Dart with praise, calling the rookie "uber-talented" leading up to their Week 9 matchup. Saleh even spoke with Dart following the contest, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan, further signaling his affinity for the young quarterback. Saleh's demise with the Jets was the team's inability to get it right at quarterback. The Giants already have their guy, so Saleh could make sense, especially leading an emerging defense.
Steve Spagnuolo
Current role: Defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
Spags is a very familiar figure for the New York Giants. Already, he's had two stints with the organization, with the latest seeing him serve as the interim head coach in 2017. Since then, he's been with the Chiefs and emboldened his reputation as arguably the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. As we've noted, the development of Dart is paramount, but New York also has fantastic pieces on defense that Spagnuolo could certainly get the most out of. With the right offensive coordinator, this reunion could make some sense if Spagnuolo feels he's done all he can do with Kansas City.
Bill Belichick
Current role: Head coach, University of North Carolina
It's the GOAT-sized elephant in the room. It's no secret that Belichick holds the New York Giants in high regard. He worked as an assistant coach and defensive guru with the organization from 1979 all the way through the 1990 season, helping the Giants to two Super Bowl championships. He remains close with the Mara family, so we can't rule out this reunion entirely. Of course, Belichick would need to trigger his $1 million opt-out clause with UNC to pave the way for a return to New York, and would need to have that job secured before making such a move. If he wants back into the NFL, this is an ideal storybook way to do so, but do the Giants want to hire a Belichick, who turns 74 in April? That's the question.
Lou Anarumo
Current role: Defensive coordinator, Indianapolis Colts
Anarumo, 59, had a sour end to a six-year run as the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator, overseeing a porous unit in 2024, although the Bengals' historic struggles this year suggest the issue was more with personnel. Now he's on the upswing as the shepherd of the Colts' defense atop the AFC South. Perhaps more than that, he's got ties to the Giants organization, previously serving as the club's defensive backs coach in 2018, when two different New York secondary starters earned Pro Bowl nods in Landon Collins and Michael Thomas. Anarumo once served as an assistant head coach back in 1995-2000 at Harvard.
Antonio Pierce
Current role: Former head coach, Las Vegas Raiders
Pierce went one-and-done as the Raiders' full-time coach in 2024, leading Las Vegas to just four wins in 17 games during his first -- and only -- season as the permanent leader of the franchise. Prior to that, however, he drew high marks as the Raiders' interim coach, helping Las Vegas go 5-4 to close the 2023 season. He is perhaps still best known for his playing days, however, when he spent the final five seasons of his NFL career at the heart of the Giants defense. Despite beginning his career with the rival Washington Redskins, he eclipsed 100 tackles in three different seasons for the G-Men, winning Super Bowl XLII with the team. These connections should boost his chances of a return to the team, as NFL Media reported.
